Framing New Models to Expand Access to Radiotherapy in Limited Resource Settings—Social Entrepreneurship

Abstract

In recent years, global oncology experts have considered potential models to develop radiotherapy services in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) amid rising need. 1 Radiotherapy is required for definitive and palliative treatment in 50% to 70% of cancer cases in LMICs. While radiotherapy as a modality is less expensive than surgery and systemic therapies for cancer, it remains poorly accessible. Establishing a radiation therapy center is a capital-intensive process that requires detailed strategic and operational planning, quality assurance, workforce development, and structural investments that may exceed the financial capacity of health ministries in some LMICs. 1 Nonetheless, advancements in global oncology are possible through active diasporic participation and investment in radiotherapy infrastructure, as exemplified by a cancer center in Ethiopia built by members of the Ethiopian-American Doctors Group. 2 This Viewpoint responds to proposals that have become apposite to the growth in diasporans' remittance to LMICs in recent years. We discuss the viable diasporic engagement as a model for social entrepreneurship yet to be explored in the discourse on expanding global access to radiotherapy.